I broke my 5th metatarsal bone, mid-shaft, spiral fracture. I saw a specialist and they said that I should take a conservative approach and not get surgery. I have been on crutches with a weight bearing boot for 6 wks, going on 7 and they say that the x-ray shows no signs of healing yet. They scheduled me for another x-ray in 3 wks. Is this normal and what type of healing should I expect? They say I may not be okay for a couple more months. I am 28yrs old and do not smoke and am healthy. Any advise or ideas?

I am also in the same predicament. I broke the 5th metatarsal bone on my right foot. I fell of the toilet bowl while climbing up and lost my balance. My right leg was hanging off the toilet when I landed on top of it. I thought I broke my ankle but didn't. When it was x-rayed, the Dr. said it was a spiral fracture. Because my bones already aligned itself, I wasn't required to have surgery. The Dr. placed me in a cast. I am not to place any weight (NO WEIGHT BEARING) on my foot. I am using crutches to help me walk around. It's been 4 wks now. I occasionally experience swelling. I can move my toes around, before I couldn't. I am assuming it is healing. I go back to get it x-rayed.
I don't smoke or drink. I am healthy. I read various articles about Metatarsal injuries. Healing time varies among people. NO WEIGHT BEARING ACTIVITIES is what you should be doing. Also get an MRI to make sure there are no other injuries. Good Luck!

I am going through with the same thing now. Since I last replied, my bone is not healing. The cast was taken off today and put in a boot. Still not allowed any weight bearing activities. Surgery is the last option, he wants to avoid (me too). Anyway I have to use a bone stimulator at night. I go back to Dr. in 2 weeks. Hopefully there will be some new bone growth. May1- to now

I have a possible 5th metatarsal break near the toe. No insurance. trying to self-treat based on info I find. Got a weight bearing shoe. Taking extra nutrients.

I would recommend Vitamin D, Vitamin K and boron. (also vitamin c and lysine are supposed to help.) I've been using christopher's tissue & bone ointment. Seems to be helping. Waiting to get the capsules by mail order. Also, will try comfrey internally even though it has been warned against by fda. It was used for a long time before the fda came along to knit bones.

It's going on three weeks. Foot still gets a little blue sometimes and I have a blue spot on the bottom of my foot. Swelling is mostly gone unless i'm on it too much.

I wonder if the blueness is because of a broken blood vessel that keeps getting poked by the bone?

I too have a spiral fracture of the 5th metatarsal from landing awkwardly whilst playing netball. My consultant says it is a very common injury. I have an air cast and go back to docs next week for a further x-ray. I had tons of bruising, right up my calf and all over my foot, including on the sole. I am concerned that I am not healing as I still experience pain on walking after about 15 mins, even with this air cast on.

I dropped a cast iron door on my foot,fractured and displaced my 5th metatarsal in the mid bone area. I was put in a hard cast and on crutches for 6 weeks with no weight bearing. After 6 wks and another I was put into a surgical shoe which looks like an black ugly sandel, told I can walk but not to do any excessive weight bearing and to come back in 2 weeks for another xray. I am a runner and my tendons in my ankle and calf muscles hurt like crazy and i am doing stretches to work them out. From time to time the fracture area is sore but mainly if i push the walking little instructions.

hey, I fractured my 5th metatarsal about 6 weeks back (on Nov. 12). I was running down a flight of stairs and kind of mis-timed my step and before I knew it, I'd tumbled down with this really bad pain in my foot. X-rays showed up a fracture. I was totally immobilised for three weeks (no weight bearing). After that my cast was taken off, and for another three weeks was told I could walk, but still with crutches. Being a journalist, I had no choice but to get around, but I took precautions such as strapping my leg with cotton and crepe bandage and taking it slow. Today my doc. told me I could walk on both my feet. Of course I'm still exercising caution and trying to limit my walking to only when I'm outdoors. So all you guys out there who are in a similiar predicament, there's a lot of hope, your foot will heal....but remember to treat it with care and caution. And eat plenty of eggs, milk, yoghurt, almonds etc..they all contain calcium. Cheers

I had a fifth metatarsal fracture 3 years ago and had at the same time my ankle sustained my foot from being broken more that it had. I still experience pain around my ankle. I wonder what is happening

i have spiral breaks in my 4th and my 5th metatarsals...i am in a hard cast...non weight bearing for 3 weeks (when i go back)....my toes stick out...is it okay to wiggle my toes or will that hamper the healing process???

I had a mid-shaft spiral fracture of the 5th metatarsal, slightly displaced, on the 28th November 2009. Was told to stay in a high-back cast for 7 weeks, non-weight bearing. Got a second opinion 1 week after the break and was told i needed surgery. Opted not to.
Saw a specialist (the best in my city apparently) and he told me to take my cast off a week early and to start moving it. So I did that, and it was SO uncomfortable!!! Everything was stiff, esspecially my achilles. So anyway, I've got until the 8th February 2010 to get as mobile and flexible as possible for my snowboarding trip in europe. Was told by the first specialist to cancel my trip, that there was no way that I'd be ok for it.
So after 6 weeks in a non-weight bearing cast, Im slowly getting back to normal, with daily improvements in movement.

From the experience that I've had, dealings with specialist opinions, and doing my own research, I've figured out that no 2 fractures are the same, and no 2 people are the same. You could have the exact same fracture in 2 people, but healing time and callus formation will differ.

But there is hope! When I first fractured mine I scanned the internet for forums like these and was dis-heartened by the lengthy rehab. I'll be snowboarding 10.5 weeks after my initial fracture, i'll let you know how it goes!

First xray 6wks ago showed a midline spiral fracture. I was not told to not walk on it but to come back in a wk for another xray. Of course I didn't walk on it much as it hurt too much the first doc ordered an air cast. Second trip to the clinic for the xray different doc said an xray was not going to help it heal ordered a bone density test? said I could walk in 4-6 wks so I tried to do as much as I felt able maybe a bit more. 6wks second xray showed the bone had started to nit in the lower section of the break the top was still displaced and not healed at all. Was told it may heal in another couple of wks will be 8wks since the break by then. I still cannot walk pain in the ankle calf foot. I do exercise with stretches when I can. Xray showed further breaks in the top of the bone on the second xray.
My advice if you happen to be in Canada and get a doctor at a clinic like I did the second time who refuses to do a secon xray don't listen to him and go back another time to see a different doctor. Wish I had.
Hoping it heals in the next couple of wks surgery is on the table if it does not. I did not have good advice about this injury and am not pleased with the care I recieved.

Fractured 4th and 5th metatarsal back on Dec 9th and had cast removed on Feb. 2nd and x-ray showed very little healing. Went for a two week followup x-ray on Feb 16th and x-ray showed very little healing again.....very frustrated. Doctor sent me home with non weight bearing / on crutches with little weight applied while on crutches for another two weeks. Getting nervous as we are booked to go away March 28th and I'm still not healing. I get mixed messages as some people say that if you apply some weight on it, it will help with the healing and then you have a doctor telling you not to put weight on it........good luck to all who are in the same predicament.

Hello my fractured 5th Metatarsal fellows!
Ok, I am very very frustrated about this issue. I fractured my 5th metatarsal on December 19th 2009 at 7pm! Today is sunday 11th of April 2010, the bone STILL fractured. Got my 4th xrays done earlier this week and the foundings were so discouraging to me. I wore the walking boot for 8 weeks, no running, nothing extreme. Although, I am physically active (Personal trainer and bootcamp instructor). I am ready to lose my mind to this point. I am taking several supplements such as Calcium, fish oil, bone density etc. Any words of hope? Please????

Hello fellow frustrated 5th Metatarsal people.
I broke mine (spiral fracture) on April 8th, 2010. My 3 week XRay showed that the fracture hadn''t slipped (which is good news), but that there was no healing yet. Scheduled my next XRay for 3 weeks after that so hopefully that one will be more positive.
I have been taking Caltrate, using a bone stimulator my doctor arranged and am non-weight bearing. I am seeing a podiatrist rather than ortho, which I think is a good thing as they are pretty familiar with these fractures. They are adamant about non-weight bearing so I am doing my best to follow orders! It definitely is confusing - I have two friends who had the same fracture and did not heal until at least 4 months. One started healing when he started walking on it but who knows. Hopefully I will not be in that same boat - I have a trip to Disney in mid-June so I have a month to be back to walking.
Best of luck!!

hey all...got the same deal going on with mine...its been 28 days...4 weeks since I broke the 5th metatarsal, mid-shaft...from all of the info I've seen on the net...looks like everybody heals differently...but I have two main questions/concerns...

-the walking/air boot? does that keep the bone in place, or does the ace bandage(I'm wearing)...or does the bone not need to stay in place it will just heal...so, does compression have anything to do with bone healing?

-also, some people go for weight bearing, others not at all...doctors seem to reccomend? what is the difference between "walking on your fractured foot" as opposed to "not walking on it"?...ya know

I am in a similar situation with a minimum of 8 weeks of non-weight-bearing in an aircast due to a fractured fifth metatarsal. I am a very active person, constantly running errands and dashing from building to building on my campus, so my crutches were seriously cramping my style. I recently found out about knee walkers (little scooter devices that allow you to keep weight off your injured foot and move around faster and more comfortably). I rented one online, and my goodness, what a lifesaver! Now I can "scoot" between buildings comfortably, and I can even go a few blocks to buy snacks, lunch, or small things like that. The model that I rented even has a basket for carrying a few items. If you are facing an extended period of non-weight-bearing, I highly recommend investigating knee walkers. You need some balance and coordination to use one successfully, but my goodness -- my knee walker has made such a difference for me. If you search online for knee walkers, you will find many companies renting them.

Don't know whether I'm happy or sad that so many people have the same complaint! I have a spiral fracture of the 5th metatarsal that I sustained by tripping over my own left foot on 26 February. It was touch and go re: surgery but I opted not to, with the support of my surgeon. Things were healing VERY SLOWLY but at about 12 or 13 weeks I definitely felt significant improvement. Was walking in regular shoes with a cane. Then I seemed to reinjure it by going up on my toes at physiotherapy.

Have been in terrible pain since then and no two doctors can agree about what is going on! I am on week 20 now and still off work and taking percocet and tylenol 3 at least once daily for pain!!

Not sure what to do as most recent xray does indicate bone is coming together and seems to be healing. Some docs recommend walking with the air cast, others bare feet (in the house) and others, sturdy shoes. Some say physio others say no physio.

Any suggestions??? I have missed a tonne of work, I'm frustrated, not to mention bored!!

Thinking of getting yet another opinion...and in the meantime I return to the fracture clinic on Thursday.

PS...I live in a very large city in Canada so access to health care, 2nd opinions, etc. not a problem. Am an otherwise healthy, non-smoker.